I want to tell you a story, about the other four legged love of my life. He’s not particularly photogenic, so you haven’t seen many photos of him on this blog, but he has a personality that dominates my life. He’s my cat, Elliot.

Bah humbug says Elliot!

I got Elliot when he was about 6 weeks old, and I had been looking for a Manx cat to adopt after wanting one for years. Manx are a breed of cat that is born without a full tail, and tend toward a personality that is more canine than feline. As well as being intrigued by their personalities, I also had a particular soft spot for an amazing type of cat that potential adopters might aviod thanks to their unorthadox appearance. After locating a tailless cat rescue not too far away, Tyler and I made the journey to see who might become the newest member of our little family.

A purebred Manx

As soon as I saw Elliot, I knew he was the one. As he was let out of his cage (he was in solitary confinement at the time because he was so newly rescued) he proceeded to climb all over me, purring as loudly as possible. Throw in the fact that he was grey (and I love all things grey), it was clear he was mine.

Baby Elliot!

Elliot’s story was that he had been thrown out of a car head first, which we quickly realized was probably true, since as a kitten he experienced facial swelling and sinus issues that indicate that he probably had experience some sort of facial fracture as a baby. But true to the typical Manx personality, Elliot’s temperament was his greatest asset. He is shockingly friendly, obsessed with water, and as we discovered once we got Drake, he really is a dog in a cat’s body.

Another adorable baby Elliot shot, with his little scar face

But poor Elliot, for all his wonderfulness, has had issues. Cats have baby teeth just like people do, but after one of Elliot’s top canines came out, he ended up having an extra adult canine to replace it, which decided to grow in horizontally. As a result, Elliot had to have his normal canine and the extra canine removed. His bottom canine then decided to fill the gap and stick out of his mouth, like a bull dog, complimenting the scar on his nose from his pre-adoption adventures. He has since had another two tooth removal surgeries, unrelated to the canine. I’m afraid he will be all gums later in life.

Enjoy those chompers while you can, buddy

Elliot also developed anxiety extreme enough to be medicated, which I think may be in part to some separation anxiety. He will demand to be picked up, yell outside the door when it’s time to get up, and in general make himself a nuisance when not given due attention. He chases Drake around the house, he steals his toys, and practically runs the place.

Grooming time with Drake

After Elliot, we adopted Jackson, another tailless feline who we think is more of a Bobtail than a Manx. I am so glad we did, as undoubtedly if he had not ended up in an adoption situation he would have ended up on the streets. But as another tailless cat we found he also can be very canine in nature, and used to enjoy fetching as his favorite pastime.

Elliot demands his pills

In any case, friends, I just want to tell you how special it is to adopt, and spread the word about these unique tailless cats, that while missing their tails, and not lacking for anything when it comes to love.